(405) 271-8001 Ext. 47953
Education:
PhD, Neuroscience, University of Maryland School of Medicine
Postdoctoral Fellowship, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC and University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
Clinical/Research Interests:
Our research program aims to determine how glial cells shape neural circuit development and function, with a focus on the cellular mechanisms that connect glial physiology to behavior. We are especially interested in how these processes are regulated across development and by experience, and how their disruption may contribute to altered circuit function and behavioral vulnerability.
1. Microglial regulation of neural circuits underlying social behavior
We investigate how microglia sculpt neural circuits underlying social behavior throughout development. Our goal is to identify the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which microglia regulate neuron and astrocyte development during early life, and to determine how these processes establish sex- and experience-dependent patterns of circuit organization. In doing so, we aim to understand how developmental alterations in microglial function can produce lasting changes in neural circuitry and behavior.
2. Astrocyte regulation of neural circuit function
We study how astrocytes regulate the functional properties of neural circuits and influence behavior. Our goal is to understand how factors such as astrocyte signaling, structural plasticity, and interactions with neurons influence how astrocytes influence circuit activity and determine how disruption of these processes contributes to maladaptive behavioral states.
3. Experience-dependent remodeling of glial function and neural circuits
We investigate how experiences, such as social stress or exposure to drugs of abuse, reshape glial function and, in turn, neural circuit organization. Our goal is to determine the mechanisms by which experience-dependent changes in microglia and astrocytes modify their interactions with neurons and other glial cells. Ultimately, we aim to understand how glial plasticity contributes to individual differences in behavioral adaptation, resilience, and vulnerability to disorder.
Select Publications:
- Testen A*, VanRyzin JW*, Bellinger TJ*, Kim R, Wang H, Gastinger M, Witt EA, Franklin JP, Vecchiarelli HA, Picard K, Scofield MD, Tremblay M-È, Reissner KJ (2025). Abstinence from cocaine self-administration promotes microglial pruning of astrocytes which drives cocaine-seeking behavior. Cell Reports 44(8):116137.
- VanRyzin JW, Marquardt AE, McCarthy MM (2024). Feminization of social play behavior depends on microglia. BioRxiv
- Pickett LA, VanRyzin JW, Marquardt AE, McCarthy MM (2023). Microglia phagocytosis mediates the volume and function of the rat sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 120(10):e2212646120.
- VanRyzin JW (2021). Phagocytic microglia in development: Are they what they eat? Brain Behav Immun Health 18:100373.
- VanRyzin JW, Marquardt AE, Argue KJ, Vecchiarelli HA, Ashton SE, Arambula SE, Hill MN, & McCarthy MM. (2019). Microglial phagocytosis of newborn cells is induced by endocannabinoids and sculpts sex differences in juvenile rat social play. Neuron 102:435-449.e6.
A complete list of my published work can be found on MyBilbiography:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/1XG7e8IJV3xQj/bibliography/public/